Recently published research in a study from Northwestern University's Feinberg 
School of Medicine has found that nearly 50 percent of patients taking  
antihypertensive drugs in three community health centers were unable to 
accurately name a single one of their medications listed in their medical chart.  
That number climbed to 65 percent for patients with low health literacy. The study 
was published in the November 2007 issue of the Journal of General Internal 
Medicine, and looked at 119 patients, average age 55; from community health 
centers in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although the study focused on low-income 
patients, other patients likely have similar trouble recalling the names and dosages 
of all their medications, particularly those who take a lot of different drugs and the 
elderly, who may have cognitive limitations. (source: USP Patient Safety CAPSLink
e-News, Feb. 2008).

These Guidelines provide pharmacists and pharmacies with specific 
recommendations for making important medication information accessible for 
patients with vision loss. The Guidelines are a collaborative project of the 
American Society of Consultant Pharmacists Foundation and the American 
Foundation for the Blind.  The Guidelines also serve as a resource for persons with 
vision loss and organizations serving this population. Included in the Guidelines:

    * General Recommendations for Prescription Labels;
    * Specific Recommendations for Large-Print prescription and Auxiliary labels;
    * Specific Recommendations for Consumer Medicine Information (CMI);
    * Format Recommendations for Prescription Labels and CMI for People with 
       Vision Loss; and,
    * Recommendations for Distinguishing among Prescription Containers.

For information about the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists Foundation, 
visit http://www.ascpfoundation.org/

The National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention 
(NCC MERP /the Council) has issued a set of recommendations to help minimize the 
potential for errors associated with the use of suffixes in some drug names.  
(Examples of suffixes include CD, SR, etc.)  The Council calls upon regulatory and 
standards-setting agencies, the pharmaceutical industry, practitioners, and other 
stakeholders to collaborate in implementing strategies to address this issue.  The 
Council recommends the immediate development of educational tools and programs 
for practitioners and consumers designed to help minimize the potential for error 
and enhanced reporting of suffix-related errors.  The Council’s Recommendations 
also call for the pharmaceutical industry, regulatory agencies, standards-setting 
organizations, practitioners, and the public to work together to:

·  Establish processes for "good naming practices"
·  Evaluate drug names with suffixes for potential for error
·  Encourage feedback regarding the adequacy of standards in addressing the issue

This set of recommendations emanates from a conference organized by the 
Council.   Four critical stakeholder perspectives regarding the use of suffixes in 
drug names were presented and explored: the patient safety perspective, the 
practitioner/provider perspective, the regulatory/standards-setting perspectives, 
and the industry perspective.  Meeting participants also worked to achieve a 
better understanding of the underlying causes associated with suffix-related errors 
and to identify strategies for preventing these errors.

Parents should not give children under age two over-the-counter (OTC) cough 
and cold medicines according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA 
is issuing a public health advisory to warn parents to avoid these drugs for 
children under age two due to the possibility of serious and potentially life-
threatening side effects. 

Pharmaceutical companies quit selling dozens of versions of OTC cough and cold 
medicines targeted specifically to babies and toddlers in Oct. 2007.  That same 
month, the FDA advisers voted that these medicines don't work in small children 
and shouldn't be used in preschoolers -- anyone under age 6.  The FDA is still 
undecided about giving these medicines to older children.  Such a decision is due 
from the Agency by spring.  Pending completion of the FDA's ongoing review, 
parents and caregivers that choose to use OTC cough and cold medicines to 
children ages 2 to 11 years should:

*  Follow the dosing directions on the label of any OTC medication,
*  Understand that these drugs will NOT cure or shorten the duration of the 
common cold,
*  Check the "Drug Facts" label to learn what active ingredients are in the 
products because many OTC cough and cold products contain multiple active 
ingredients, and
*  Only use measuring spoons or cups that come with the medicine or those made 
specially for measuring drugs.

The FDA recommends that anyone with questions contact a physician, pharmacist 
or other health care professional to discuss how to treat a child with a cough or 
cold. 

About  3.1 million people in the United States aged 12 to 25 
(5.3 percent of this age group) have used over-the-counter 
(non-prescription) cough and cold medicines to get high at least 
once in their lifetimes, according to a report by the Substance Abuse 
and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The level is 
comparable to LSD, and more than the reported use of 
methamphetamines, among those aged 12 to 25. White youths were 
more than three times as likely as Black youths to have misused these 
drugs during the past year. 

Overdosing on many cough and cold medications may result in serious 
life-threatening adverse reactions. Adverse reactions include blurred 
vision, loss of physical coordination, intense abdominal pain, vomiting, 
uncontrolled violent muscle spasms, irregular heartbeat, delirium and 
death.  Patterns of misuse of non-prescription drugs varied among 
demographic groups. Females aged 12 to 17 were more likely than 
their male counterparts to have misused these drugs within the 
past year (2.3 percent vs. 1.5 percent). But among those aged 18 to 
25, more males had misused these drugs in the past year than females 
(1.8 percent vs. 1.3 percent).  Among all persons aged 12 to 25, the 
rate of past year misuse among whites (2.1 percent) was three times 
higher than among blacks (0.6 percent) and significantly higher than 
among Hispanics (1.4 percent).  

The full report on non-prescription cough and cold medication is available on the 
Web at http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k8/cough/cough.cfm.  Copies may 
be obtained free of charge by calling SAMHSA’s Health Information Network at 1-
877-SAMHSA-7 (1-877-726-4727). Request inventory number NSDUH08-0110.